I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I am blessed to photograph a good handful of weddings at West Hills Country Club in Middletown, NY every year. Although the venue is the same, each couple and their family and friends are so different, and I am honestly always in awe at how unique and varied the human experience can be…
We learn so much from the people that raise us.
I learned the most from my Mum - my best friend, confidante, rescuer, best hugger, mommy. One of the biggest lessons she taught me was that when you have nothing material to give, you can still give your heart, and that is one of the biggest and best gifts you could give to anyone…
Confession:
Sometimes I choose the photos for blog posts, but then let myself mull over the right words to put down to describe these beautiful days that I have the honor of being a part of. I chose the photos in this blog post in April. It’s now June, and here I am, finally putting figurative pen to paper to describe Haylee + Brian’s wedding day. Sometimes, it’s just so dang hard…
As a wedding photographer, I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for resources for my clientfriends - whether they’re timeline hacks, vendor recommendations, or ideas for asking friends to be a part of a wedding party (like the gift box featured in this post!), I’m all over it.
Coming across these customizable gift boxes to ask your people to be a part of your big day was so wonderful. And, I have to say, I am super happy and excited to review this for you…
If there is anything I absolutely adore about a wedding (besides, you know, the obvious), it is getting to interact with and become an honorary family member on these beautiful days. I love to watch how excited the parents are, and see how they caress their child’s face right before they walk down the aisle. I love to watch the grandparents, and see how they fret over straightening the groom’s tie or tucking one hardly-seen hair behind the bride’s ear. I love to watch the sisters help the bride into her gown. I love to watch the brothers get slightly inebriated, and toast to the groom in their hotel room suite.
Weddings are about so much. A lot of this “so much” is family.
Whenever I have seen Sabrina + Mike, I have gotten giddy. There is just SOMETHING so unbelievably beautiful and precious about their souls that I am never able to shake. Maybe it’s their cute dimples, and the way they look at each other. Maybe it’s how they take the time to make keen observations before making any decisions…and when they do make their decisions, they are incredibly wise and kind. Maybe their eyes portray more than their words ever could. Maybe they’re just cool. MAYBE our souls just know how to high five each other…
When I walked down the aisle at my own wedding, I carried two bouquets - one for myself, and one for my mom. At the head of the aisle, before I joined hands with my husband, I laid my mom’s bouquet on her chair. The chair was empty, but it was reserved for her. I have so many memories of my wedding day, but that still, small moment of resting that bouquet there felt incredibly, peacefully solitary. I was surrounded by so many people, being watched by so many hearts, but that moment felt like an embrace - a private moment between me and my mom. She wasn’t there…but she was. I know she was…
Many of my fondest college memories begin with the statement, “RA!” (Read that in all of the exuberance that those two letters could ever possibly hold in a greeting.) As a college student, I was a Resident Assistant for a few years, and my perfect little Mary was one of my very favorite residents. I would often come back to my room with notes from her left on the whiteboard on my door - often they would just say, “RA!” Sometimes, they had a little more substance. She echoed this greeting every time I saw her - in the cafeteria, in the hallway, in class… Mary exemplified joy and excitement in every way possible.
We learn so much from the people that raise us.
I learned the most from my Mum - my best friend, confidante, rescuer, best hugger, mommy. One of the biggest lessons she taught me was that when you have nothing material to give, you can still give your heart, and that is one of the biggest and best gifts you could give to anyone…
